http://mmajunkie.comKendall Grove said he was a wimpy, overweight high-schooler when Ikuhisa Minowa was bounding around the ring in tight pants.

But he’s grown up now, and in more ways than one. He’s raising his own future high-schooler now, and he’s trying in earnest to rebuild his career.

“I was trying to run a gym out here in Hawaii on top of managing a professional career in MMA, but that’s just me being a [expletive] and making excuses,” Grove told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “But now I don’t have those excuses, and the sky’s the limit, I guess.”

Grove shut down his gym in Maui and trains out of his garage with a gaggle of students and coaches. He is almost completely self-sufficient, and a lot happier now without the distractions of running in two different directions.

Now, there’s just the usual distractions of raising a 3-year old: constant feeding and a general lack of sleep.

Ikuhisa Minowa (51-32) is flying halfway around the world to meet Grove (13-9) at ProElite 3, which takes place Saturday at Blaisdell Center in Honolulu and airs on HDNet. So there’s a distinct possibility he’ll be a bit groggy heading into their fight.

“He has the experience, but he’s never fought anywhere other than Japan, and I’ve fought all over this world,” Grove said. “I know how it feels to fight out of my comfort zone. He doesn’t. I’m not going on that, but that’s part of the game.”

So, too, is figuring out what the colorful veteran is going to do. Apart from a penchant for leglocks and a craziness that endears him to Japanese fans (and makes him the butt of jokes to stateside observers), Grove isn’t placing any bets on what he’ll encounter inside the ProElite cage.

“He’s fought the who’s who, he’s a savage, and he’ll fight anybody,” Grove said. “I ain’t got to worry about trying to intimidate him because I know he’s not. So definitely my focus is on him right now, and we’ll see how that goes.”

If he’s successful in Hawaii, Grove will jet to his old stomping grounds of Las Vegas, where he’ll headline a Superior Cage Combat event opposite fellow UFC vet Jay Silva. It’s a gamble to book a fight so soon, but at this point, he’s rolling the dice.

“No, I’m just going to go straight into it,” Grove said. “[Expletive] it. You only live once. If I’m healthy, I’m just going to go for it. (I’m) trying to get my career back and just have fun with it. I don’t have that pressure to worry about keeping or losing my job. I’m just going to go out there and do what I love to do. I’m living my dream, and no one can take that away from me.”

Pressure crushed him during his five-year stint in the UFC, and while he certainly doesn’t enjoy the smaller paychecks that come with fighting in lesser-known events, “The Ultimate Fighter 3″ winner welcomes the chance to reinvent himself. In his most recent appearance, he took one step toward that goal when he submitted Joe Riggs inside a minute at ProElite 2, which reversed a brutal knockout loss he suffered in their first meeting eight years ago.

Grove went all out in traveling to several Southern California gyms to prepare for the Riggs fight. Although it lasted less than a minute, he was glad to get the win after suffering back-to-back losses that prompted his exit from the UFC.

“He gave me the opportunity to choke him out, so I did that,” Grove said. “But most definitely when you bust your ass for six, seven weeks, you definitely want to go out there and show everything you’ve learned and how you’ve matured as a fighter. But only a stupid man wouldn’t take the victory if it’s right there.”

That’s the attitude he’s taking into the fight with Minowa. Not the slugfest-at-all-costs mindset of a young gun – more like do your job, take the money, and run. That’s a man talking.

Grove made many mistakes under the spotlight, to be sure. But it’s on to another fight, and another opportunity to support his family.

“No use crying over spilled milk,” he said. “You’ve just got to clean that [expletive] up and pour another glass.”

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.